Fluorescent or low-pressure gas discharge lamp arrangements, because of their high light output and long life, make a major contribution to lighting in general. Mercury in a vapor phase is to be found in the discharge vessel of a fluorescent lamp. The processes of ionization and excitation of the atoms of the mercury vapor produce a stream of electrons on the one hand and UV radiation on the other hand, which, on striking an illuminant coating of the lamp, is converted into visible light.
The disadvantage of fluorescent lamps is that, because of the poisonous mercury vapor that they contain, they present a major risk to people and to the environment. This risk must be countered by suitable measures, seamlessly and throughout the entire life of a fluorescent lamp. This means that the appropriate safety precautions have to be observed during production, packaging, storage, and commercial transport right through to use by a user and correct disposal and this creates significant effort and costs.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 7,053,557 B2 discloses a lamp arrangement with tubular LED lamps which can replace the fluorescent lamps described above. In the LED lamps a number of LEDs are arranged along the longitudinal axis. In these lamps they emit white or colored light depending on their construction. Disposing LEDs of different colors in the lamps is likewise known in order, via a suitable control, to generate a light output of any given light colors by mixing the colors of the individual LEDs. The LED lamps are contacted in each case via a base embodied at the ends of their glass bulb. The lamp bases are embodied in such cases so that they can be inserted into the existing sockets of fluorescent lamps.
Document JP 2008108598 AA discloses a remote control unit for controlling the light color of LED lamps containing LEDs in different colors. With control buttons arranged on the remote control unit the operator adjusts the radiation power of the respective different colored LEDs. This setting produces a light color of the LED lamp.
As well as the option of setting the lamp properties by a remote control, it is also possible to arrange control elements on the lamp, or on the lamp arrangement, into which the lamp is built for this purpose.
An exemplary embodiment for a remotely-controlled LED lamp arrangement is the Color e-Motion system from OSRAM.
The said lamps and lamp arrangements have in common that properties of the lamps, such as switched on/switched off for example, the brightness or the light color, can be set via a control unit which is accessible at any time during the operation of the lamp and is thus easy to set incorrectly.
The disadvantage of this solution is that the properties of the lamp can be incorrectly set during operation by mistake, by chance or by unauthorized persons for example.